Headford's Bloom Room to discuss a new town centre

BLOOM Room, a free public event takes place in Headford tomorrow (Saturday, June 4) that will present and further explore possible ways of addressing challenges of the Main Street in the town centre.

The creative project is a collaboration with the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) and the local community group Headford Town Team and follows on from a recent public survey and the work of the IAF Reimagine Programme.

A temporary Bloom Room will be set up in a courtyard space behind Mitchell & Co Solicitors on Main Street to discuss, debate and get the local community involved in reimagining a new future for Headford’s town centre.

It takes between 11am-3pm, as part of the Headfest festival. Discussion topics will be based on the findings of a Reimagine Headford survey that the group recently conducted with the public that identified challenges, such as a declining main street, poor pedestrian experience and traffic management issues.

Nathalie Weadick, Director of the IAF, said: “We are at a major crossroads in Ireland as to how we use and reuse our town centres. With careful consideration, and the amazing work of people like the Headford Town Team, we have a chance to restore towns around Ireland to their vibrant hubs for every type of activity.

“This is a timely project, chiming with the objectives of ‘Places for People’, Ireland’s new national policy on architecture, which ambitiously calls for the regeneration of local areas through our built heritage.”

A spokesperson for Headford Town Team said: “Headford is a small town with a big heart and a strong community spirit. Our Town Team is seeking to channel and implement some big ideas for our Main Street, which tap into our fantastic creativity to model the town centre we want to have for future generations.

“The Bloom Room will be a place for people to rest, play and chat in Headford town centre. With flowers, plants and pots for pollinators, an ‘imagination playground’ by Bricí Spraoi, live music by Eoin Stiffe, an ice-cream cart, Brown Bag Donuts and much more, we are inviting people to come and enjoy this temporary community space.”